Apple iPod touch 16 GB (1st Generation) OLD MODEL
by Apple Computer
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apple iPod touch 16 GB (1st Generation) OLD MODEL
Customer Review: Best iPod to date!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my fourth iPod (I had the 2G ipod, ipod nano and ipod video U2); though it is far from perfect, I can honestly say, it almost is-- and among the lot, the best there is, for the time being. When the iPhone came out, I almost spilled my hard-earned cash to be the first one to line up in the apple store. However, there were serious issues with the iPhone that I certainly cannot compromise with; among them, the restrictive 2-year contract with AT&T and the sluggish EDGE network for the internet. Also, I prefer my cellphone being separate as I hate to drain out my battery when I need to make emergency calls; i consider my mp3 player a toy and my cellphone a necessity-- those two just cannot be combined. Also, the highest memory capacity for the iPhone is maxed at 8GB; too small for my song library. Furthermore, I hate being forced to buy a cellphone just to access its mp3 features. Thus, I decided to wait for the next big thing.
It's just a matter of time before iPhones' technology will crossover to the iPod; and I patiently waited and reaped my rewards. Lo and behold, the iPod Touch came out 3 months shortly after the iPhone (and I was among the first ones to pre-order it online). I received mine a week earlier than the scheduled release date and have been playing and tinkering with it since. The iPod Touch addressed several issues-- no contracts with any cellphone carrier, bigger memory (16GB), robust wi-fi capability and a widescreen display (which is long overdue for the iPod). I do travel every so often so I'm happy with just plain wi-fi; plus wi-fi hotspots are now highly accessible and prevalent in hotels, bookstores, coffee shops, business establishments and airports. iPod Touch, in short, has all the pros of iPhone without any strings attached, so to speak. My sister has a 30GB Zune with the widescreen display and I have been drooling about it for many months now. Now that I have the iPod Touch with the widescreen display, she couldn't get her hands off it. Her Zune does have the wireless syncing which would be a nice update for future iPods. There are no games for the iPod Touch which is such a shame considering how cool it would be to maximize the potential of the multi-touch screen. This is one serious oversight that could probably be resolved in future firmware updates (Apple, are you listening?).
USER INTERFACE: This is where iPod Touch excels. There is practically no learning curve. Instructions are clear and straightforward; turning it on simply requires the touch of the power button and a sweep of the finger on the touch-screen to unlock. One button right at the bottom of the screen takes you to the main menu where you can see icons for Safari (web browser), YouTube, Calendar, Contacts, Clock, Calculator and Settings. The bottom icons take you to Music, Videos, Photos and the new mobile iTunes music store. Music comes in cover-flow or list menu; the accelerometer adjusts the orientation of the album either in portrait or landscape (cover-flow) view depending on the position of the iPod. Videos are classified in movies and music videos. Photos can be seen as thumbnails or slideshows and adjusts accordingly to portrait or landscape views. iTunes music store sells music only and are sorted by genres (Pop, Alternative, Hip-Hop, Rock and R&B). I purchased a full album of Paul Potts for $9.99 with a few keystrokes and download time on my 802.11G network is pretty fast; a song downloads just as fast as a DSL network-connected laptop. I downloaded the full album in less than five minutes which is quite acceptable. Software integration with iTunes is a snap; just like earlier generation iPods, it syncs automatically with a PC (or a Mac) thru a USB 2.0 cable with the option to upload the entire multimedia library or just specific playlists.
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES: At 8mm thick, iPod Touch is slimmer and leaves a slightly smaller footprint than iPhone which is definitely a plus; however, they both have the same 3.5 inch screen which is gorgeous for videos and photos (and surprisingly music with its cover-flow of album art). I dare say iPod Touch is sexier than the iPhone. Its metallic back enclosure is prone to fingerprint smudging which is easily remedied with a swipe of any soft cloth. Its touch-screen front panel is made of glass which is scratch-resistant; I actually didn't remove the protective film it came with to save it from any undue scratches. The multi-touch screen is very responsive although the teeny-weeny virtual keyboard takes some time getting used to. There are no dead pixels in its 320 x 480 pixel display. The wi-fi antenna is located at the upper left hand corner of the back panel and is compatible with 802.11b/g routers. I actually had my name laser-engraved on the metallic back panel free of charge. Earphone jack is located at the bottom right corner which is easily accessible and the power button is at the upper left hand corner. There is no hold button or volume control buttons; all other controls are embedded within the touchscreen display. The package comes with the iPod touch itself, a set of earphones, a USB 2.0 cable, dock adapter, polishing cloth (which comes in handy for those annoying fingerprints), and the quickstart guide.
WEB BROWSING: My Belkin 802.11n router communicates fairly efficiently with my iPod Touch since it's backwards-compatible with 802.11b/g. It connects in seconds with a few flicks for the network password. Safari is a robust platform although it has some flaws. Some websites that are graphically intensive don't render correctly or pop-up errors onscreen. The zooming in and out of web pages is pretty easy with the pinch-feature of the multi-touch screen. Any video plug-ins still cannot be downloaded, probably due to memory limitations. I tried downloading quicktime and realplayer and they both sent error messages on my screen. Safari however excels in regular html pages; websites like yahoo and google render correctly in the browser. Yahoo Mail can be accessed through Safari without any hiccups. Reading e-mail is easy as one can drag and drop sections of a message with the light sweep of a fingertip; scrolling is fast with just a flick; and with the pinch feature, zooming in to get a readable look on the page is intuitive. Composing e-mail may be cumbersome although manageable with the virtual keyboard. Compared to PDAs, iPod touch is the easiest by far in accessing, receiving and sending e-mails. With Apple's recent collaboration with Starbucks, the iPod touch is capable of downloading song tracks from Starbucks hotspots (in select cities like Seattle, New York and soon Chicago) thru the iTunes wi-fi music store. I don't have a first hand experience on that since I'm a Chicagoan; I'll probably wait for that in 2008.
MUSIC & VIDEO: Apple did an excellent job in these areas. Music quality is identical with any iPod and volume is ample enough to please any pair of ears. Browsing through songs is much easier this time. One has the option to search songs through the finger sweep or the alphabetical shortcut. Video is pretty straightforward; movies or music videos automatically play in landscape (widescreen) mode. Video is nowhere near DVD-quality but good enough for viewing in the airplane or hotel room. The 320 x 480 pixel display is sufficiently sharp with a color vibrance unmatched in any iPod; I don't have the literary skill to give it justice but just see it for yourself. Video content is downloadable only through desktop/laptop iTunes version and are in 540kb/s MPEG-4 (H.264) format with 128kb/s AAC soundtrack. Unlike iPod classic which has a much smaller screen, iPod touch is easier on the eyes without any need for squinting; I actually watched several movies like X-Men 3, Superman Returns and 300 in their entirety without suffering from eyestrain. Using third-party software, I happily ripped my favorite DVDs to iPod (MP4) format and they played flawlessly in the iPod Touch. The screen can be adjusted in brightness depending on the lighting conditions; it can be set to auto which saves more battery juice or the brightest setting which drains out the juice faster. Battery lasts 3-5 hours on video and practically the whole day for music. iPod Touch plays a myriad of formats including MP3, AIFF, WAV, MPEG-4, protected DRM and DRM-Free AAC, and Apple lossless.
CONCLUSION: iPod Touch is basically an iPhone without the phone and the digital camera. I personally prefer my mp3 player, cellphone and digital camera as separate entities. My own cellphone with T-Mobile has a digital camera built in, yet I still bring my camera along with me on my travels, as well as my iPod. I don't have any issues with them coexisting with each other. And even with the web-browsing capability of the iPod Touch, I still bring my laptop with me wherever I go. Some people prefer the all-in-one device. I however believe that separate highly-specialized devices work better than a deficient jack-of-all-trades all-in-one device like the iPhone. Some people have unrealistic expectations on the iPod Touch (expecting it to have all the bells and whistles of a PDA, the open-source format of other portable devices and the perks of an iPod)-- it's just not possible with the current technology. I personally expect it to behave just like an iPod, which it performs exceedingly well--which is play music and video when and where I want to. Some people declare the iPod Touch a "stripped" version of iPhone. I disagree. Owning it for a week now proved that it is a better mp3 player in more ways than one. Being a dedicated mp3 player, it runs circles around the iPhone in flash drive space (16GB), portability (it's smaller and slimmer) and overall likability (no cellphone contracts, robust wi-fi, sexier look)-- so, what's not to like? And, among my iPods, this is the one I will carry in my pocket wherever I go, for a very long time.
Customer Review: Great product, however, movies are expensive
Summary: 5 Stars
The decision to buy:
I think it comes down to the iPhone, Touch, or Zune for a player with a screen big enough to actually watch a full movie on. I tried to look into the Zune two ways: 1) On line. Microsoft's website is extremely disappointing. It's a bunch of psychedelic nonsense. I either missed the information all together, or it's the worst thing I've ever seen. Either way, that combined with the lack of an acutal demo in any store turned me off of the Zune. The final nail was the lack of wi-fi. I currently am in a contract with a non AT&T company, so that killed the iPhone. Plus, I didn't want to constantly have to carry something that size in my pocket. I kind of like having a smaller phone to carry every day. The decision was really between the 16 GB and 32 GB Touch. My primary needs were videos for travel and the wifi, not having a million songs on it. Therefore, I decided to save the $100 and get the 16 GB model. A full movie is around 1 GB so I can get 10 movies and 1000 songs and still have 2 GB to spare.
Features:
I bought the additional features for $19.99 through iTunes when I connected my Touch. Go to Apple.com for demos of the features. There online demo is amazing. A few questions that we're not answered though. In the mail feature, I wasn't sure if it supported every mail carrier, specifically Yahoo!. It does support Yahoo! along with Gmail and AOL. It does not support Hotmail. This feature is outstanding. It automatically loads your emails so you don't have to go to Yahoo!, then Mail, then type in your login and password. You just click the mail button, and it's all there. Of course, you have to be connected to a wifi network for it to update you inbox and send out. To set up your account you just enter your name, login and password and it's set. You can also store multiple email address and easily access each one by just selecting the stored account (example, you have a Gmail and a Yahoo! account).
The music, notes, weather, stocks, maps are all great, but simple to understand so I won't go into it. I'm sure everyone knows of the album cover jukebox style display. I was worried about music I put on that didn't have the album cover, however, you can easily right click on the song, chose "Get Info" then click to add artwork. You can just go online and find the album cover and save it to your desktop, then chose it from there. The only problem is typing. You're not going to send a long email from the touch unless you really practice. I'd say it has about a 1% error rate when going slow (example, it will put a "r" when I wanted a "t"), however, the more I use it, the better I get at making sure I hit the right letter and minimize my contact surface area with my finger. When I try to "type" with both hands instead of pecking with one finger, my error rate is much higher. Again, practice may help. I'd go to the Apple store and play with it to see if it annoys you.
WiFi:
This works great. It's obvious, but I'll say it. You have to be in a WiFi area to go online. As opposed to the iPhone where you can go online anywhere with AT&T. So I have a wireless router at home and it works great. It also works anywhere where there is free WiFi (hotels, airports, etc.). You can also use it at Hotspots, such as Tmobile (Starbucks, Borders) and AT&T (Coffee Bean, Barnes & Noble, McDonalds). You can go to Tmobile and ATT's website to see how much, but you can pay for a day, or a few hours of access if you don't pay monthly for the service. I found out that if you have AT&T (or what used to be SBC or Yahoo!) DSL, you get free access to their Hotspots. I tried it at the Coffee Bean and it worked great. It's pretty fast too. Webpages are small, however, easily zoomed into by double tapping or using the pinch as seen in Apple's online demo. You have to tap at the proper speed so it doesn't just go to the hyperlink instead of zooming in. The Google search is nice becuase you can choose to have it search as a typical Google page results or return contact information results like a Blackberry would.
Video:
This is the primary reason I purchased the Touch. I'm taking a trip to Europe and I wanted to watch videos. They say you get 5 hrs of video. I haven't put that to the test yet (I'm not going to sit for 5 hours and watch that screen if I don't have to). I purchased a turbo charge for the plane and I hope that works like it says it will. When I went on iTunes to get movies, I was shocked at the price. Movies to buy are full price...$14.99. Why would I pay that? I can buy the actual movie for my DVD player for cheaper! Rentals are also full rental price, $4.99. It does vary for older movies, but I still think it's a rip off. The one thing I did find reasonable are episodes from TV Series. For South Park, Family Guy, and the Simpsons, I bought my favorite episodes for $1.99 each. This is great. You don't have to drop $30 on the full season if you only like a few episodes. And for comedy, I'll definitely watch them over and over again.
It was quickly apparent that I would need software to make my own DVDs into the Touch format. Again, I could just buy a regular DVD for $15, then convert it to my Touch. I tried a ton of software packages and formats. The Touch will work with H.264 or MP4. Almost all the software companies will give you a demo for free, however, there is a watermark on the video. I'm glad I tried this becuase I got various quality even with the same settings. I finally bought the converter suite from CuCuSoft. I would demo them all for yourself though, but try this one too. I also was frustrated on what settings to use. According to Apple's specs, the Touch's screen is 480 x 320. However, it can handle video up to 640 x 480. I wasn't sure if it is worth the extra file size to make it 640x480, or if I was just wasting storage since the screen is only 480x320. I don't know enough about video to make a decision, nor could I find a lot online (let me know if you have an answer). Also, there are several video supported formats: H.264, 1.5 Mbps or H.264/MP4, 2.5 Mbps. What I did was try them all with the same clip and see if I could tell a difference. Again, it comes down to file size vs. quality. If you can't tell a difference, go with the smallest file size. I'm still playing with it, but H.264, 640x480, 1.5Mbps seems to be good. I tried to find the setting for the shows I bought, but they are not attached to the file. All I know is that it is 640x480 based on the size of the screen at 100% when played with Quicktime and it was around 200MB for a 23 min show. I've been told by others that a full movie should be around 1 GB. I haven't bought one due to the cost, so I just adust my setting on my sofware to give about a 1 GB output file.
Conclusion:
All in all it is fantastic. I'm happy with my purchase and I am glad I didn't get the 32 GB. The $100 is handy to buy a case and software with. If you want a ton of songs and video, I'd get the 32. But movies you can remove once you watched them and just rotate them back in later. The WiFi is a great feature. Even without AT&T, you can pay a monthly fee for T-moble or ATT Hotspot access, or just pay for a few hours (Although, not nearly as convienient as the IPhone). It's cheaper than the $20/month ATT charges for the iPhone data and McDonalds and Starbucks are everywhere. The videos are excellent quality when purchased, however, they are expensive. You can just use software to convert your own DVDs, but it's not easy to decide the quality to size ratio that you are happy with. I tend to want it as good as possible, but that takes up a huge amount of space.
Hope this helps.
Customer Review: As perfect as a gizmo gets
Summary: 5 Stars
My friends tend to think of me as an early adopter -- meaning I'm usually body-surfing on the first wave of buyers for new products. Still, a product has to meet my needs, solve specific problems, and provide an acceptable level of value. Being "new" isn't near the top of my list of priorities.
Before I got my iPod touch, I new it could play music and videos, display photos, and do a few other odds and ends. But I had no idea it could accomplish these tasks in a way that is simultaneously elegant, intuitive, charming, and just plain fun. Sure, we've all seen the commercials on TV, but nothing can prepare you for what you'll experience the first time you hold one in your hands and start listening to music, watching a video, or leafing through a photo album -- all without the need for assistance. But many other folks have already commented on how easy the iPod touch is to use, so I'll focus this review on new ways to use the touch.
I now leave my computer at home when I travel. Instead of schlepping a laptop computer through airport security, I take my little iPod touch. With 16 GB of memory, I can easily put about 10 full-length movies on it, plus my entire iTunes library, a few photo albums, and numerous programs (more on those later). What that means is that I can sit back in my straightjacket-like coach seat, plug in my noise-canceling headphones, and watch the movie (or listen to the music) of my choice while babies yowl and drunks bellow their life stories directly into the ears of the poor schlubs sitting next to them. Yeah, it would be better to watch a movie on a larger screen, but at what cost? I've now taken several trips with the iPod touch and found its little 3-1/2 inch screen to be crisp, clear, and very watchable -- even for 2-plus-hour movies. I just set it down on my tray table, and voila ... instant drive-in theater, without the groping. Since this little device features wireless networking, I'm able to send and receive email or access the internet wherever there's a hotspot, which is yet another good reason for leaving your laptop at home. I suppose if I needed to do keyboard-intensive tasks while on the road, I'd find the touch's tiny keyboard inadequate. But what I mostly need to do is email and take a few notes, which the iPod touch is perfectly suited for.
I'm a huge fan of internet radio -- specifically Radio Paradise, which I think is probably the best eclectic rock station I've ever heard. In fact, I've been introduced to many new bands through Radio Paradise, then gone out and bought their CDs. But I've always wanted an easy way to capture the internet stream on my iPod. Now I can. Mac users can purchase a fantastic program called TapeDeck, the interface of which looks just like one of those 70s-era shoebox-style cassette decks (hence the name of the program). Want to record an internet stream? Press the Record button on TapeDeck. Two hours (or however long you want) later, just press the Stop button. It creates virtual "tapes" which you can then drag into your iTunes music library, then plop onto your iPod touch (or any other iPod). When I've shown TapeDeck to people, their eyes light up at how simple it is to use. So now when I'm sitting in a crowded airport waiting area, I'll listen to a Radio Paradise stream. The way TapeDeck works with iTunes and my iPod touch is nothing short of a miracle. I would imagine that there's a program out there that provides the capabilities (if not the simplicity) of TapeDeck for you PC users.
Finally, there's the (relatively) new iTunes App Store that's available to iPhone and iPod touch users through iTunes. I've got to say, as good as the iPod touch was in version 1, version 2 of the operating system makes it an order of magnitude more powerful. Want a program that shows you good restaurants in your area? It's available in the App Store. Like to play games? There are hundreds waiting for your download. Got a specific idea for a capability you'd like on your new little gizmo? It's probably already there in the App Store. There are more programs than you'd likely be able to use in a lifetime -- and about 25 percent of them are available as a free download. It doesn't get cheaper than free. You can download these programs to your computer or directly to the iPod.
Want to know what else is cool? Say you're sitting in a Starbucks, sucking down a hazelnut latte. You hear a great song over their speaker system and wish desperately you could own that song. If you've got an iPod touch, you just press the Starbucks button and ... lo and behold, there's the name of the currently playing song and a list of the last 10 songs Starbucks played. Press the Buy button, and the song is downloaded directly to your touch. The entire process is just stunning in its simplicity and cleverness.
Do I have any complaints? Yeah, but it's so minor, I'm embarrassed to even bring it up. My one gripe concerns syncing. Other iPods allow you to simply drag items on and off your iPod through iTunes. The touch (and the iPhone) want you to put a check mark next to items in a list, then press a Sync button. It's a bit confusing (at first) trying to understand which data is going in what direction. On the plus side, say you update your Safari bookmarks or Address Book contacts. Press the Sync button and that new info is automatically transferred to your touch. Brilliant! So that's the yin and yang of syncing.
I suppose I'd also like to connect to the internet when wireless hotspots aren't available, but then that's the primary difference between the iPhone and the iPod touch.
You won't catch me complaining about the screen or keyboard size because ... well, what do you expect from a device this small? A screen that unfolds to the size of a 42-inch HD TV? No, it is what it is, and what it is is very, very useful.
I've now owned my iPod touch for eight months, and I'm still dazzled by its beauty, capabilities, and ridiculous ease of use every time I press the Power button. I've shown it to early adopters and the technologically challenged alike, and all are blown away by it.
Is it worth $399? It is if you need a product that will make its various capabilities easier and more fun to use than any other product out there. And it is if you're fed up with lugging a computer around on your trips because you need to stay in touch with email and the internet. I won't say that $399 is a pittance for such a device, since everyone has a unique pain threshold when it comes to discretionary purchases. As for me, now that I've integrated the iPod touch into my lifestyle, I wouldn't want to live without it. And there are very few things I can say that about.
Customer Review: Nice features and intuitive; quite impressive
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought one of these recently after using a friend's, and I'm still amazed by this device. Besides being able to play music & video, this device is almost a hand-held computer. It has built-in wireless networking capabilities, which allows web browsing and web-enabled applications. These are some of the things I think are innovative and useful about the iPod Touch:
- Multi-touch touch screen interface: Provides an intuitive interface, allowing you to scroll applications by moving your finger across the screen, activate buttons by tapping them, etc. Its use of gestures are pretty cool; for example, you can zoom in on web pages by moving 2 of your fingers apart on the screen, and you can zoom out of web pages with a "pinching" motion with 2 fingers. The concept of gestures are used in some other applications for other functionality.
- On-screen virtual keyboard: This actually works better than I thought it would. When you need to type, you click on the input, and the keyboard appears. The virtual buttons are big enough to get used to fairly easily, although they are small enough that sometimes it can be easy to push the wrong button. The virtual keyboard works fairly well though, and a bonus of being virtual is that you can switch to a foreign language easily.
These useful applications come with the iPod Touch:
- Apple's Safari web browser: A fairly functional version of their web browser, although it lacks Java and Flash support.
- YouTube: Lets you browse, search, and watch videos on YouTube (something not supported by the built-in web browser due to flash restrictions)
- Calendar
- Calculator
Also, the following applications were added via Apple's January 2008 update (built into new iPods, but costs $19.99 otherwise):
- Mail: A basic but functional email application with support for Yahoo, Gmail, .Mac, AOL, and standard POP/SMTP email (unfortunately, Hotmail is not supported, but you can still access Hotmail via the web)
- Google Maps: A special application just for Google Maps
- Weather: Displays weather reports for specified locations
- Stocks: Displays stock information
- Notes: Lets you keep notes
Granted, the only reason why you need special internet-enabled applications is because the web browser doesn't handle Java and Flash very well; however, it's nice to have a small device that you can install applications on. The user interface is fairly easy to use, too.
A built-in accelerometer allows the iPod Touch to determine whether you're holding it vertically or horizontally. Applications that respond to this (such as the web browser) can automatically rotate the view to match the orientation.
I am impressed with the user interface - I think this is an area where the iPod Touch shines. Since the multi-touch interface is fairly new, it can take some getting used to, but you can get used to it fairly quickly. It is rather intuitive for some things.
I also like the aesthetics: It uses OS X, so everything has a nice appearance. The screen is crisp and clear. I've read that the screen's surface is glass, and it seems fairly scratch-resistant.
The wireless networking seems to work fairly well. It supports 802.11b/g (up to 54mbit) and supports password-protected networks.
The 16GB capacity accommodates my 13GB of music, although it would always be nice to have more storage for videos and such. One thing that's nice about the storage is that it's solid-state, making the iPod Touch ideal for exercising.
As far as application support, Apple does restrict how you install applications and where you can get them. Based on my observation with their January 2008 update pack, costing $19.99 (but worth it in my opinion), you can't just go out and download software and install it like you would on a desktop computer. Apple's business model seems to be that new applications are meant to be purchased from Apple.
On a related note, there is an online community centered around hacking the iPod Touch (known as "jailbreaking" in the community). Hacking the iPod Touch is not for the faint of heart - you need to be patient and follow the instructions very carefully - but hacking the device allows you to easily download and install 3rd-party applications, including ones that are normally available only for the iPhone, as well as other applications created by other people. This opens the door to making the iPod Touch a truly versatile device, allowing new applications to be installed easily. Also, jailbreaking is a relatively safe process and won't damage the iPod. If needed, you can restore it back to factory settings using iTunes.
I should probably list what I think are some of the downsides to the iPod Touch:
- The battery & storage is not user-serviceable. If the battery wears out (as all batteries eventually do), or if the storage goes bad, you'll need to send the iPod to Apple to get it fixed. But this is true for most iPods.
- You need to use iTunes to manage the media on the device. It would be nice to be able to just copy the files to the iPod as if it were another hard drive, as some other music players allow, so that you don't have to rely on any specific software or operating system to use the iPod.
- Unless you decide to hack it, Apple restricts what software you can use and where you can buy it. It's a closed system; however, Apple plans to release a developer kit in February 2008, which should hopefully officially open the door to making the iPod Touch a little more open.
Overall, the iPod Touch is a nice gadget. It's especially handy if you travel a lot and are often near wireless hotspots. I am impressed.
Customer Review: AWESOME DEVICE AND IT IS THE FUTURE OF THINGS TO COME......
Summary: 5 Stars
Note: I would have almost certainly purchased the iphone over the touch, but I live in an area that is not serviced by AT&T. As a result, no iPhone for me. Consolation prize - the touch.
This device is truly amazing.
1) Size and WT - unbelievable! I am a long time palm, windows mobile, smartphone, iPod user, and this is truly the first device that I can put in any pocket (pants, shirt, jacket) and it is comfortable to the point that I don't know it is even there.
2) Multimedia Capabilities - out of control. The best picture I have ever seen on a device of this nature. It is actually enjoyable to watch a movie on this thing. Although time consuming, it is easy to use handbrake to get any dvd I want onto my iPod Touch. Along with making movies enjoyable, the beautiful screen combined with the multitouch make viewing pictures equally as enjoyable. The music - it is an iPod, enough said.
3) PMI - I have two macs and all of my personal management information is iCal, Mac Mail, Mac Address and a .Mac account, etc...When I had a palm or WM device I always needed some 3rd party software to make them communicate with my Macs. Now the iTouch syncs all of this data perfectly and the address book and cal on the Touch have a great GUI combined with multitouch to make it easy and a pleasure to use.
4) Internet - by far, and I mean by far, the best Mobile Internet Browser and Mail program out there! I never thought I would use mail or a web browser on a mobile device until I used this device.
5) Maps - awesome, especially with the new ability locate your position. Only shortcoming is that you should be able to save maps that you create so that they can be used and referenced when a wifi connection is not available. Maybe this can be done and I am not aware of it, but if not it is a slight shortcoming. When you have an iphone you are almost always connected, either by cellular radio or wifi, so not as big of a deal. However, with the Touch you are not always near a wifi hot spot/access. It would be nice to make a couple of maps for reference and download/save them to your device and then when you are in the car, away from a wifi connection, you could access/view the saved maps and data just as it would be if you were online in real time.
6) Other - the clock, calculator, stocks, weather - ok, not bad but nothing special - again, similar to the comments above, with stocks and weather it would be nice to store the most recent data so that it can be accessed off line.
7) Multitouch - awesome, I forgot the name of the company they bought who pioneered this technology. At any rate, what a great acquisition it really helps to turn a great device into an amazing device. Makes web, mail, pictures, and many other things much more enjoyable.
Overview - Spectacular, microsoft could only dream of this, and they should have had something like this in mind when they started their Origami project. The device is amazing as is and its potential as PDA/mini computer is great. It could be the first full fledge mini computer/PDA and be the first its kind to allow people to leave there laptops at home (selectively of course - depends on the needs of the trip, but in the past the idea of leaving the laptop at home and replaced by a pda for any type of trip was unheard of). This device is no longer an iPod and has the potential to be the best PDA ever created.
WHAT IS MISSING AND NEEDED TO MAKE AN AMAZING DEVICE NEAR PERFECT!
1) GET that SDK package out and bring 3rd party native applications to the device....
Short List:
isolo
skyscape medical software
splash id
dataviz office (bring both ms office and pages, numbers, keynote to the iphone/touch)
multifunctional calculator and convertor
epocrates/drug reference
games: good texas hold em, backgammon, yahtzee, chess, etc..
That is my short list of stuff that I use often on palm/wm and would love to have on my Touch as it matures in to the best PDA ever made.
2) Bluetooth: it would be nice to have bluetooth so that the touch could use wireless headphones. Wireless syncing would be nice. Communicate with other devices, such as a car radio where you could stream music, etc...The iphone has bluetooth and a cellular radio inside of it and is not that much bigger so it can't be a size/space issue.
3) NOTES Program - they have something called notes but the damn thing doesn't sync with NOTES in Leopard Mail and it should. Without syncing it is 10% useful, with syncing it would be 95% useful.
4) Larger memory capacities - it is clear that the iphone and touch will never see a hard drive, nor should they. The SSD/Flash memory saves on space (and the size of the device is perfect - reaches a nice balance), battery power, and is more stable. Unfortunately, it is expensive and slightly limiting at this time. The multimedia capabilities of this device demand more memory and this will even be more important as 3rd party software blossoms. The 32GB touch is a great step forward (although pricey).
5) Cut/Paste/Copy/highlighting capabilities - need to be added. The magnifying and moving the curser thing is great and can stay but really need these other editing functions.
6) Minor cosmetic thing - it would be nice to be able to replace the background on the home pages with whatever picture one wants instead of a black screen. Analogous to desktop wall paper on computer. The device has something called wallpaper but it doesn't work like this.
7) As battery technology improves hopefully better batteries - last longer, less heat, and smaller.